down to the wire

Friday

For the second game in a row, the result was so unlikely, so against the odds, that one could sense people’s urge to break out terms and phrases like “magic,” “fairytale” and “storybook.”

Sorry, but as late as it may be in the NHL’s regular season, it’s still too soon to tell how this thriller is going to end.

You’ve got to admit, though: The last couple chapters have been terrific.

Faced again by the team they beat Tuesday night, 6-2, the Boston Bruins brought less to Thursday’s rematch at TD Banknorth Garden, while the Toronto Maple Leafs bought more.

Nothing else changed, though. The Bruins hung onto their playoff spot with a 4-2 victory that bounced the Leafs from post-season contention.

“We’ve had a lot of teams here that have worked hard,” said veteran winger Glen Murray, whose third-period power-play goal gave Boston a 3-1 lead, “but this team has really come together.

“We’ve got a lot of injuries – three key guys out. It seems like we’ve had a key guy out all year, but we’ve come together, and played really well.”

Murray’s “three key guys” count didn’t even include center Patrice Bergeron and defenseman Andrew Alberts, who are hoping for a chance to play again this season. Murray was talking about 22-goal scorer Chuck Kobasew, whose fractured tibia (suffered early in Tuesday’s win) will keep him out for at least four weeks, and defenseman Andrew Ference, whose suspected knee sprain hasn’t healed as quickly as hoped (he has missed two games), and most important, scoring leader Marc Savard. General manager Peter Chiarelli said Thursday morning that the back injury Savard suffered last Saturday in Montreal won’t be evaluated again until Monday, meaning he won’t play this Saturday against Ottawa or Sunday at Buffalo.

But vets like Murray and Marco Sturm (he scored Boston’s first goal Thursday night), kids like David Krejci and Phil Kessel, and almost-forgotten cast members like Peter Schaefer have spent the most important week of the season making sure it doesn’t matter who’s missing.

“It’s definitely unfortunate that we’re missing those guys,” said Schaefer, who contributed a goal and an assist after being scratched for the previous five games. “We can’t sit back and use that as an excuse, though. Guys have got to step up.”

Krejci, who has stepped into Savard’s spot between Sturm and Murray, put up his second straight two-point game. (This time, both were assists.) He also won 10 of 17 faceoffs, filling another gap created by Savard’s absence.

“This is like a new life for me,” said Krejci, who spent nearly two months in the minors before returning on New Year’s Eve. “I have so much hunger for the next games, for the ice time.”

Schaefer was hungry for any ice time after five straight DNPs, which followed four straight games in which he’d been shut out. Placed on a line with rookie center Vladimir Sobotka and the recently non-productive Kessel that was clearly going to have to earn each shift from coach Claude Julien, Schaefer played a tough game along the boards, and did as well as he has all season with the puck: He looped a pass over Toronto’s defense to send Kessel in for a breakaway goal that snapped a 1-1 tie 5:47 into the third period, and scored his ninth goal of the year at 15:24 – only 23 seconds after Toronto’s Pavel Kubina cut Boston’s lead to 3-2.

Schaefer’s efforts earned him the coveted hard hat that which teammates bestow on the hero of a victory. Kessel, whose strong forecheck led to Schaefer’s clinching goal (and who may very well have been offside on his goal), settled for being named the game’s No. 1 star.

“I think everyone knows you have to step up at a time like this,” Kessel said. “It’s so close to the end of the year teams are fighting for their playoff spots.”

Toronto, despite the return of their top two scorers (Mats Sundin, Nik Antropov), dropped from the fight Thursday night. The Bruins, with 88 points, have five more games to stay where they are – seventh in the East, by virtue of a tiebreaker advantage over Philadelphia – or perhaps break from the pursuit of Washington, which is only two points behind.

“We’re not getting any help,” said rookie winger Milan Lucic, whom fans selected as this year’s Seventh Player, after watching the Capitals keep pace by coming from behind to beat Tampa Bay. “We can only help ourselves.”

Mike Loftus may be reached at mloftus@ledger.com.

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